Students ask government, Ministry of Education to intervene

Students caught up in the ownership row between an American missionary and a group of Catholic nuns now want the Government to intervene.

The more than 160 students from St Mary’s Mission Hospital High School, Nairobi, were locked out of their school last week as the ownership row between the American missionary, Father William Charles Fryda and Assumption Sisters of Nairobi (ASN), worsened.

The nuns, on January 3, 2017, took over ownership of the school and kicked out the learners. Over 20 students are currently camped inside tents at St Mary’s Hospital in Gilgil, while more are in children’s homes in Nairobi.

The students said they were evicted from their hostels by hired goons accompanied by Police officers.

“They pushed us out and here we are. We don’t know where to go, we have no other place,” said one form four student.

The school’s principal, Alexander Kaboro, yesterday said most students admitted to the school were poor and relied on donor funding. The majority are orphans.

Kaboro said the school was the only home most of the students knew.

The principal said the students have no other place to go and called on the government to intervene.

“We took our students to children’s homes and rehabilitation centres as we seek to have the matter addressed by the Ministry of Education,” said Mr Kaboro.

“They have no other place to go to and they are at risk of being denied their right to education,” said Kaboro.